PORTLAND, Ore. — Those who saw the video on NBCSN had no doubt what Alan Gordon said, even if he wasn’t able to confirm his words. After Sunday’s loss in Portland, the San Jose striker was escorted out of the visiting locker room by team officials, retreating to the team bus before being made available for comment.

Timber captain Will Johnson, the target of the six-letter homophobic slur, was also unwilling to comment, but after San Jose released this statement, there’s little doubt Gordon will be hit with a three-match suspension:

“I sincerely apologize for what I said in our game tonight. Although I said it in the heat of the moment, that language has no place in our game. That is not my character, but there is still no excuse for saying what I said. I made a mistake and I accept full responsibility for my actions.”

The last player who committed a similar offense was Seattle Sounders defender Marc Burch, who targeted Will Johnson (then with Real Salt Lake) with the same slur last November. Burch’s three-match ban forced him to miss last year’s Western Conference finals as well as the first game of the 2013 regular season.

Combined with the red card Gordon saw in the 69th minute, San Jose could be without their striker for the next four games: vs. Portland (Apr. 21), at Chivas USA (Apr. 27), vs. Montreal (May 4), vs. Toronto (May 8).

Major League Soccer has gone to great lengths to make its stance on these comments clear. In most of the league’s stadiums, a “Don’t Cross the Line” service video plays before the match, seeking to promote “unity, respect, fair play, equality and acceptance throughout the soccer community.” The video was aired before Sunday’s match at JELD-WEN. With the league intent on showing a strong, consistent front on these issues, there’s no doubt Gordon will be suspended.

We’ve seen this type of language used in other sports, most prominently by Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant two years ago. With the sexuality of retired Major League Soccer players David Testo and Robbie Rogers recently coming to light, the issue of homophobia takes on a special significance within the MLS community.

Expect that significance to be discussed this week as the league works through this latest controversy.